Megadan

Looks like new leaf springs to me, until they settle, I wouldn't bother drilling anything. My rear axle was really far forward for a couple of months when I put on new leaf springs, now it's right about where it should be. leave it alone for now. Throw some weight in the back to try and settle those springs. Then again, I don't resort to modifying something that will need time to correct itself. :dunno:

Rotella T6 synthetic 10W40 and a Wix or Bosch Filter.

I have 3.55's with an AX-15 and 235/75-15 tires. It's a great setup for light towing and daily driving, but I honestly would rather have 31" tires otherwise. 3.55's with 31" tires is roughly the same overall gearing as stock 3.07's with a manual trans. Turning 1800rpm at 60mph. With the 3.55's and 29" tires it sits right at 2000rpm at 60.

That's normal. As the leaf spring compresses the wheel moves back in the wheel well. So to prevent it hitting the back of the well, they position it just a bit forward.

Mine does this on occasion. For my 88 it ends up being a fuse that slowly works its way out of the fuse block.

^X2. Or Seafoam/B-12.

I run MT90 in mine, Waaaay better than Synthetic motor oil that I ran during break in. And as confirmed above, MT-90 is GL4.

I Haven't used them, but I have been considering it. Quite a steep cost compared to a good set of used buckets though. If you are worried about fitment, I ordered their seat brackets for my 1988 Isuzu Impulse Turbo, a very rare car. Bolted right up.

Option 4. Keep the engine the way it is and replace factory computer and wiring with a Megasquirt? I'm considering doing this with my truck, and I have a slightly tired Renix with a rebuilt head. They have a decoder program for the factory CPS signal, and that is all you need for a basic batch fire setup on the injectors. The Megasquirt 3 even has a Target AFR that can be used in conjunction with a wideband O2 to auto-tune the engine. Add a second Map and you get barometric correction. I already have a Megasquirt 3 with the MS3X sitting in a box with all the sensors and wiring harnesses for another project. If I could find a way to get the right kind of cam signal I could do sequential injection and coil per plug too. The temptation is real...

Just installed and it was worth it. I have about 400lbs of gear and sand bags in the back, and the before and after drive and how different my truck sits was dramatic. Definitely worth it.

My AX-15 swap went smoothly and was more or less "bolt-in", the only two hang ups I had were trying to get the correct trans mount and a slight kerfuffle with the shift linkage that I solved by combining the linkage from my truck and the donor vehicle. I will admit I did a bunch of research and had everything together before I started. It took me 10 hours to do the entire swap start to finish with a buddies help and lots of beer breaks.

Welcome to Nebraska! You came through during the first storm of the season. It was 52 and sunny here today lol

Checked the ground at the tail light?

I will say thanks to both of you for making it happen. Otherwise my chances of even getting a hitch was slim, let alone for a decent price. Honestly, you could have tacked on a bunch of extra money to line your pockets, but you didn't. I really respect the fact that you kept everything reasonable.

MJ/Jeep D44 - smaller tubes (a little weaker in load capacity) but a semi floating axle, so no C-clips. Ford 8.8 - bigger tubes (stronger) but C-clip (If that bothers you). My plan is to swap to an 8.8 with a C-clip eliminator set eventually, but if I come across an MJ D44, I would simply use that.

Even with a small price increase your hitches are worth every penny. If people have a problem with the price, then they can go without I say. :thumbsup:

I would buy 3. I like the long beds, and most of the mods I would do to make it a capable off-road vehicle would still leave me with cash left in my pocket honestly...although I am sure I could find a way to spend it if I had to lol. Plus, as others have said, I'm not driving somebody elses project.

Be aware than the offsets between 02 and older and 03 and newer are VERY different. The early crown vics had nearly a 0 offset stock, while 03+ had a +50mm offset. Otherwise, as he said above, most 5x4.5 (5x114.3) wheels will work. Pay attention to the center hub diameter though

Looks like a good project truck. I am confused as to why he pulled the tank that sits in front of the rear axle if he was going to bob the bed/frame that sits behind it. I guess a safety thing? I know I would like to take a foot off the back of my long bed if I ever decide to do any serious wheeling.

Meh, the T-case isn't that heavy. I bench pressed mine into place and held it there while a buddy put on a couple of the nuts.

Unless you let it stubble too long, and then your vehicle will beard. Does it stumble no matter what the throttle position is? When my TPS was out of adjustment I would get a stumble at a very specific throttle position in a very specific RPM range. Otherwise, I agree with everything Hornbrod said/suggested

Honestly, I wish I lived closer to you because I have a pair of factory replacement leaf springs from GS on my truck that have maybe 7000 miles on them and I want a set of lift springs on mine now. I would gladly trade!

While you can do so without dropping the crossmember, I highly recommend getting it out of the way if you can. It just makes life easier.

I've found that some 120V LED Strip lighting in certain areas around my work bench really helps with visibility when working on the table. The setup it came with out of the box was a small flourescent fixture, but my eyes are really light sensitive and CCFL lighting gives me headaches. No, it's not a main garage lighting tip but it's something extra and small to consider.

Meaure from the top of the axle tube to the frame rail directly above it.